Today, cafés are great places for grabbing a cup of coffee and propping it near an open laptop to do work. But did you know they were once the meeting places of artists, writers and other creative thinkers? Groups came together to share ideas, work and more. Some cafés even handed out paper for artists to draw on.

The importance of the café is linked to what’s been dubbed the bohemian culture, which blossomed in San Francisco, New York, Paris and other places. In her book “Bohemians: The Glamorous Outcasts,” Elizabeth Wilborn writes:

The café was the material location of bohemia. It was the end point of the bohemian journey.

We decided to celebrate the café as a hub for artistic energy. Here are some works by UGallery artists depicting the café everywhere from Paris to NYC.